Before the WNBA hits pause for the All-Star weekend, the Indiana Fever had one final game to take care of against the Connecticut Sun. But when the game should have been the main focus, considering fans won’t get to see the Fever back in action till July 28, it was a courtside interaction between former Phoenix Mercury teammates Sophie Cunningham and Brittney Griner that ended up stealing the spotlight.
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Ahead of the highly anticipated game that ended with a dominant 123-88 Indiana win, cameras caught Cunningham and Griner sharing a lighthearted moment, where Griner might have been encouraging Cunningham to use her now-famous pointing gesture as a celly after her buckets.
The gesture stems from a game between Indiana and Phoenix back in June, where Sophie Cunningham just stood her ground and pointed at DeWanna Bonner during a heated verbal exchange.
Ever since then, it became a viral moment that fans just couldn’t get enough of. They made memes on it, circulated them throughout the internet, and, for what it’s worth, Cunningham leaned into it. She recreated the gesture the next time Indiana met Phoenix and won. She even recreated the pose with UFC icon Max Holloway during UFC 329.
“There’s nothing that I did or do that lets me live this life; I’m just embracing it and having fun,” she said on the Sons and Daughters podcast.
It is without a doubt one of the biggest things that came out of this season. But the sad part is that the WNBA Players Association recently confirmed that the league’s official licensing partners can’t use the gesture in any official merch or promotional material, because it stems from an on-court confrontation.
Meanwhile, behind Caitlin Clark’s 27 points and 11 assists, the Indiana Fever set the franchise records for most points in a single game at 123 and at halftime and single-half points at 70.
Sophie Cunningham, on the other hand, stayed on the court for 21 minutes and dropped 8 points, all of which came from the free-throw line. She also had 3 rebounds and 2 assists to her name.
It might not have been one of her most productive scoring nights this season, but that has rarely defined her role with Indiana. Time and again, the Fever guard has found ways to make an impact whenever her team has needed her most – whether it’s by defending her teammates or through her energy, defense, or timely plays. And that’s the kind of impact the Fever value.